


Wow, that's one Grumpy Cat- if you know what I meme

by Lady_Nightshade



Series: Just Another Day in the Tower [5]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, the other avengers are in it but not the focus, there are no mentions of suicide but Clint does wonder about Bucky's health
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-25 17:45:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2630687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Nightshade/pseuds/Lady_Nightshade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bucky moved into the tower Clint had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to watch him the same way he did the others.  Darcy and Natasha both knew he was watching but didn’t mind him being there.  Jane and Pepper usually had no idea so that was fine.  But he got the feeling that Barnes wouldn’t take kindly to being watched- certainly not from close proximity.  And Clint could respect that.  The man had been through a lot- he’d had HYDRA in his head for decades.  Clint had only had Loki in his head for a few days.  He was still dealing with the trauma.  He had no idea how the sergeant was still standing.  </p><p>---</p><p>Clint notices that Bucky is having a bad day.  So he decides to cheer him up with Grumpy Cat.  This is the story of how Clint and Bucky became a bit closer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wow, that's one Grumpy Cat- if you know what I meme

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: There's no mention of suicide but there is slight speculation from Clint. Not because he thinks Bucky is suicidal, but he does keep an eye on him all the same.
> 
> ALSO: There's mention of a Tony pizza meme at the end- seriously, give me suggestions on what you think it should say and I'll pick the funniest ones to put to the picture I'll draw of it.
> 
> It has come to my attention that I should say: I do not think that scientists lack a sense of self preservation in general. To clarify, I know many scientists who would run away to stay alive. I ALSO know many who would stay in danger in the name of discovery and science. The sentence about that in this fic refers to them. I surprisingly have a lot of science friends for someone so very grounded in the humanities and arts... They make good friends, I think.

It wasn’t a secret that Clint Barton liked to be up high. He liked the vantage point that being physically above everyone afforded him.  Being a sniper (yes, you can be a sniper without using a gun- though he knew how to use those too- besides, ladies had a thing for an archer) he was inclined to have an eye on everyone.  When it came to his leisure time, sometimes he just needed to take a step back and watch.  It’s not like he was trying to be anti social or anything.  It’s just that sometimes he felt the most in control when he was able to watch over everyone and everything in the tower from some unnoticed spot. He knew all the best places to sit and watch from in any part of the tower.  The air ducts and ventilation systems were an especially favorite location for him to be.

Everyone on the team knew this and were no longer surprised when he would randomly drop down from the ceiling or join in a conversation providing his two cents unseen from a vent.  He liked to just lie there and watch for hours on end, keeping silent watch over his companions. Most of the residents in the tower didn’t need a bodyguard.  Tony had his suits, Bruce had Hulk, Thor was…  _Thor_ , Natasha could take care of herself and Lord help whoever was dumb enough to attack her, and Steve could probably survive pretty much anything short of a nuclear explosion. 

Darcy, Jane, and Pepper on the other hand were another story. They were all squishy, non-super, untrained average civilians.  Some of his favorite, actually.  He never talked much with Pepper, but anyone who could reign in Tony got his respect. But he didn’t need to watch her much since she had Tony.  Jane was brilliant but like many scientists, she lacked the usual inherent sense of self-preservation in the name of science.  But he didn’t need to watch her so much since she had Thor and Darcy. Darcy had that sense of self-preservation that Jane lacked and she used it to save herself and Jane all the time. But she was also brave and selfless and would run toward the danger instead of away from it if there were others unable to or not as smart as her to run away.  So she needed guarding too. 

That, and Clint just liked her.  She always laughed at his jokes and could take just as much as she could dish out.  Granted, she did have Jarvis (who was a total badass, by the way), but that didn’t mean the AI couldn’t use the extra help (after all, he couldn't throw Darcy over a shoulder and run with her the way Clint could).  The archer was intrigued by the fact that she was Jarvis’s Soulmate and the fact that she was not fazed in the least that Jarvis just happened to be an AI. She accepted things and people for what they were while still working to make the world a better place by learning about how things and people worked (her political science degree was proof of that). Clint was an archer- he saw the target; he eliminated the target. Usually the target was someone causing some sort of problem.  If he took out the target then he took out the problem.  Darcy was different.  Instead of just forcing people to change how they functioned or removing them completely, she simply changed how _she_ maneuvered around them.  The end result was in fact, a change. Darcy maneuvered around the target until she understood them. Then, through her own actions, changed the outcome through working with the target. 

Take Jane, for example- the woman would work herself dead if not for Darcy.  Jane was the target. Darcy would look at Jane and maneuver around her to get what she wanted- usually it was getting Jane to eat. The problem was the possibility of dead scientist because said scientist’s behavior prevented proper meals. Darcy took the time to understand the target and figured out the woman had a soft spot for easy food that could be eaten with no mess and fingers.  Darcy would surround Jane with such foods and Jane would eat. Take Darcy out of the equation- Jane stopped eating- Jane starved.  Keep Darcy in it and Jane continued breathing. 

Darcy’s way of going through life was what left Clint constantly coming back for more. 

One of the places he liked to sit most was in the air ducts above Foster’s lab.  Most of the Avengers never knew when he was around (except Natasha- she always knew- she knows _everything_. Seriously.), but Darcy had taken to offering her food up to vents in an attempt at sharing her food with him. If she had a plate of cookies, or a bag of candy she would simply hold it up toward the ceiling and wait. If the vent did not open after 10 seconds, she’d lower her plate and get on with her work.  But more often than not the grate would swing down and Clint’s arm would appear, his hand grabbing some of whatever was being offered.

Darcy was one of his favorite people. So he kept silent watch over her and the others.  He’d be lying if he said he did it just for their benefit.  Sometimes on nights he couldn’t sleep (which was more than he’d like to admit) he’d sit in the hallway vents above Darcy and Natasha’s apartment front doors. Nothing creepy- he just liked to stand watch. It reassured him that everything was all right and helped him feel a little more in control of things. He’d tried to do the same with Jane’s apartments, but quickly learned that was a bad idea. Let’s just say the walls weren’t as soundproof as a certain god of thunder and astrophysicist thought. Ugh. Never. Again. 

The other place he liked to be the most was in the duct that overlooked the open concept kitchen and shared living room. Seriously- he even had a pillow up there.

When Bucky moved into the tower Clint had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to watch him the same way he did the others. Darcy and Natasha both knew he was watching but didn’t mind him being there.  Jane and Pepper usually had no idea so that was fine. But he got the feeling that Barnes wouldn’t take kindly to being watched- certainly not from close proximity. And Clint could respect that. The man had been through a lot- he’d had HYDRA in his head for decades.  Clint had only had Loki in his head for a few days.  He was still dealing with the trauma.  He had no idea how the sergeant was still standing.

One of the worst things about being under someone else’s control wasn’t what he’d had to do, or finding out what he’d done. It was the looks of mistrust from everyone that had him going out of his mind.  Everywhere he went, he felt the eyes of others- watching him with weary alert.  If Natasha hadn’t stared daggers (at on occasion, thrown them) at people and if he hadn’t had the team to stand behind him, with him, and at times around him (he would forever be grateful for how the team closed ranks around him when he needed them most), he wasn’t sure where he’d be.   He suspected Barnes had been dealing with the same problems he had.  So Clint figured keeping his distance until otherwise invited might be a good idea.  The man probably needed his space. 

None of that meant, however, that Clint ignored the man. Actually, besides the ladies, Bucky was the one Clint watched the most.  Not in a suspicious sort of way, but just to check on the man and to ensure that he was ok.  When they passed in the halls or met in the common rooms (which wasn’t often since Bucky didn’t come out much initially) Clint tried to act as normally as possible. He remembered how much he’d desperately craved normalcy from others.  But other than their brief meetings in passing, Clint and Bucky didn’t have much interaction.  But he was always watching.

Usually Bucky was with Steve and Sam. From what Clint could see the two of them were doing a pretty good job helping the man adjust. Every week Clint saw more and more of the man known as Bucky Barnes emerge from his closed off shell. Bucky was starting to come back. And while Clint wasn’t sure the Winter Soldier was retreating _or_ disappearing (he wasn’t sure he _ever_ would), he was sure that Bucky was starting to reconcile the two parts of himself more like Banner had with Hulk.  That didn’t mean though that every day held nothing but improvements. Some days were bad. Bucky would seem far away, lonely, isolated, confused, and oh so lost.  Clint knew that feeling.  It was the feeling he’d tapped down inside of himself after Natasha had brought him back from Loki’s control. 

Clint would watch as Bucky would go through his day and usually wouldn’t interfere.  Steve or Sam usually helped Bucky through and while it didn’t always get better at the end of the day, he usually didn’t head any closer to that metaphoric cliff. Or very physical balcony rail.

One day however, was different.

One day Clint was up in the vents (because where else would he be?) and he noticed Bucky was having a particularly hard time adjusting. But he and the man had yet to get to know each other- Bucky still needed his space and Clint got that. Deprogramming someone who’d been under HYDRA control for so long took time.  So Bucky mainly stayed away from everyone except for Steve, Sam, and Natasha (though Clint had noticed on more than one occasion that Bucky had begun lingering at access points to the labs, standing watch.  It didn’t go unseen by Clint that Bucky got a little more alert when the non-Avengers were wandering around.  Clint supposed in his own way Bucky sensed the women weren’t like him and needed a bit of protecting.  That’s how Clint knew Bucky would come back from this- he looked for threats to protect their friends from).  Clint had seen Bucky when he was having problems adjusting, remembering where and when he was, and having issues being around people.  But today was a bit different.  Today Bucky just seemed… _sad_. Clint watched Bucky throughout the morning and towards the late afternoon when it didn’t look like anything was cheering him up, Clint got an idea.

Getting his hands on one of the many Stark tablets that were still lying around everywhere (left over from Tony’s crazy scheme to encourage Steve to get comfortable with technology. By surrounding him with it… _literally_ ) Clint pulled up tons of Grumpy Cat memes.  He pulled up as many collections as he could before maxing out the tablet’s window capacity. Satisfied, Clint found Bucky in the kitchen.  Up until this point the man hadn’t really touched the tablets.  Sure, he’d nudge them out of his way, but he’d yet to really pick one up and use it.  Clint didn’t want Bucky to treat Grumpy Cat tablet the same way (yes, it had a name now) so taking aim, he threw the tablet as hard as he could straight at the back of the man’s head and ducked out immediately after he’d let it fly.

Now, some might question the sanity in throwing anything at anyone who was so clearly recovering from traumatic events. Especially some as serious as Bucky’s. But Clint knew the level of training that Bucky had and knew that no matter how successful the deprogramming was the man would never lose those assassin trained reflexes. The chances of the man not catching the tablet were so slim that Clint was willing to bet his fingers that Bucky would intercept the tablet.  He just hoped it would be with his hand and not a knife.

Bucky didn’t disappoint.  Without turning, the man’s metal arm shout out behind him and caught the tablet before it could make contact with his head. Eyes narrowed, Bucky scanned the room in the direction the tablet had come flying.  Jarvis had assured him that the tablets that kept multiplying around the tower weren’t in fact the AI’s children (sentient or otherwise) so that meant the tablet hadn’t thrown itself (not that he was certain a tablet _could_ throw itself- how would it gain the speed needed without legs?  Unless they were _retractable_ legs…). Steve had assured him that none of the team meant him any harm, and Bucky had believed him.  Half of the people living in the tower with the Avengers were average civilians (not capable of a throw that solid).  Civilians he was actually starting to like very much if he was honest.  He knew Steve, Sam, and Natasha wouldn’t throw this at him.  He also knew Thor wouldn’t either- it just wasn’t his style.  Stark was questionable, but the man knew better than to attack him- even if he just wanted to see Bucky’s arm in action (the man had a serious thing for Bucky’s arm that bordered on uncomfortable).  That only left Banner and Barton- but Banner was constantly trying to avoid confrontation, not cause it.  Which meant Barton had thrown the device.  But why?  Sure, the man was about as aloof as Bucky himself, preferring to stay in the building’s ventilation system instead of in the actual rooms, but Bucky understood that- sometimes you just needed to take a step back and watch. 

Looking down at the tablet in his hands, Bucky studied it. Maybe Clint had wanted to show him something but hadn’t wanted to talk.  Bucky shrugged.  That was fine with him- he hadn’t been much of a talker since arriving at the tower himself. Bucky walked over to the couch and sat down before waking the tablet up, his eyes reflecting the gentle glow of the screen. 

*

Clint didn’t bother to check on Bucky for a couple of hours.  He’d already asked Jarvis to look up more Grumpy Cat memes and put them on the big screen TV if Bucky ran out on the tablet but still looked like he needed or wanted more. Clint hoped that Bucky would _want_ more instead of needing them. Around dinnertime he strolled back into the common area.  Bucky was watching the TV as Jarvis was flicking through more Grumpy Cat memes. Without a word Clint joined Bucky on the couch. 

Within 15 minutes the two men were writing their own Grumpy Cat memes and posting them to Tumblr.  They got 500 likes in the first half hour.  Eventually Natasha, Steve, and Sam all came in.  Instead of interrupting, the three stood in the doorway, watching as their two friends bonded over the grumpiest looking cat Steve had ever seen. Bucky looked up at them and actually smiled (possibly his first genuine smile since he’d arrived). Steve was so shocked and pleased he just stood there looking like a proud mama.  Sam had a similar look on his face.  Natasha was the first to recover, walking over to join them, sitting down on one of the couch’s arms. 

As the night wore on the others slowly trickled in until everyone had found a comfortable seat in front of the TV. Each shared their favorite memes and internet sensations.  Thor was very excited to show Bucky Nyan Cat (“it’s the pop-tart body,” Jane had whispered to Bucky).  Sam loves ERMAHGERD girl and while Steve can’t figure out why, he can’t seem to keep himself from laughing- it’s probably Sam’s impersonation of her that makes it so funny. Tony had yet to introduce Bucky to Chuck Norris (he was on the list right after Bruce Lee and Clint Eastwood), but that didn’t stop him from explaining that Chuck Norris was not afraid of the dark- the dark was afraid of Chuck Norris.  The group got a good laugh from all of the memes Tony could pull up on the man (“Did you know he’s in his _70’s_?” “ _WHAT_?!?” “Shit, Stevie, he looks better than _we_ do!”).  Despite all of these, Bucky still liked Grumpy Cat the best (seriously, he was beginning to think that Tony might be onto something when he’d said Grumpy Cat was Bucky’s spirit animal, even though Darcy had explained to him that’s not how it worked and that Tony was being insensitive to other cultures- but then, it was Tony.  What did anyone expect?). Natasha surprised everyone when she pulled up Sassy Gay Friend.  This turned out to be both Steve and Bucky’s introduction to Youtube. 

They both agree it’s a black hole that will suck your time in.

Since no one bothered to cook anything, Tony ordered out pizza delivery. He had to get at least 4 for the super soldiers and Thor. _Each_. Darcy had volunteered to go downstairs to the lobby with Tony to pick them up.  Tony shook his head when the boxes were delivered by the delivery guy in a _car_ because they couldn’t all fit on his scooter.  It looked like Tony was going to feed an entire high school football team (and possibly the cheer leaders as well).  Thinking it’d be funny, he and Darcy stuck them all on a hand truck and wheeled them into the elevator where they rode back up to the common living space.  Tony Stark wheeling in a stack of pizzas as tall as he was on a hand truck quickly became a new meme.  Natasha and Bucky made sure of that. 

The next day Bucky was in the kitchen rummaging through the fridge.  Hearing the air duct grate open, he turned to find Clint standing behind him doing his best Grumpy Cat impression.  Bucky laughed so hard he broke the door off the fridge. 

After that, Clint noticed Bucky keeping watch over the entrances while he practiced at the indoor shooting range Tony had provided him. Clint was also able to sit in the ducts and watch Bucky from a closer distance without the man getting agitated.  Sometimes when one noticed that the other was having a difficult day, they’d seek the other out and would surf the web together, laughing at whatever meme was currently popular.  It wasn’t enough to banish the nightmares permanently, but neither expected it to. Sometimes, all you need is some company, if you know what I meme.

**Author's Note:**

> So, personally I think that Bucky and Grumpy Cat sort of look alike when Bucky has that guyliner-gone-wrong-ugly-non-waterproof-make-up-cry look. That’s probably why my brain decided that Bucky likes Grumpy Cat- he just feels a connection to the poor thing. 
> 
> Thor loves pop-tarts. Fact. Nyan Cat has a pop-tart body. Also fact. Therefore Thor loves Nyan Cat (obviously).
> 
> I am seriously considering drawing Tony in the pizza meme. Anyone have any ideas on what the words should be?

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Grumpy Kind of Mug](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6810835) by [ianuk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ianuk/pseuds/ianuk)




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